Tellurium (Te)

Tellurium is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Franz-Joseph Mueller von Reichenstein discovered tellurium in 1782 in gold ores from Transylvania, and Martin Klaproth named it in 1798.
• It is rarer in Earth's crust than platinum, and absorbing even traces gives a person garlic-smelling breath.
• Tellurium is key to cadmium telluride thin-film solar panels, bismuth telluride thermoelectric coolers, and rewritable optical discs.

Specifications & Metrics

• NUM: 52
• SYMBOL: Te
• CATEGORY: Metalloid